118 



Appendix 1: 



tivators of natural knowledge, beg to record our 

 strong objections to such removal, and for the follow- 

 ing reasons : — 



" The British Museum, when established by Act 

 of Parliament in 1755, was essentially a Natural 

 History collection, the enlightened views of its 

 founder, Sir Hans Sloane, being that it should be 

 rendered as useful as possible, as weU towards satis- 

 fying the desire of the curious as for improvement, 

 knowledge, and information of aU persons. 



" This object of Sir Hans .Sloane has been so satis- 

 factorily carried out that according to the report of 

 the last Euyal Commission, which int^uired into the 

 whole state of the Museum (1849), the evidence of 

 men of the highest authority in science was referred 

 to with great satisfaction, to show that the Natural 

 History collections were, as a whole, equal if not 

 superior to any in the world. 



" In reference to other suggestions that have been 

 vaguely thrown out, of a breaking up of the Natural 

 History collections of the nation into several parts 

 by transferring, e.g., the minerals to the Govern- 

 ment School «f Mines, the stuffed animals to the 

 Zoological Society, the insects ind shells to the 

 Linnean Society, etc., we have first to observe that 

 not any of the above institutions, two of which are 

 only voluntary associations of individuals, possesses 

 the space or means for the reception and display of 

 such constituent parts of the great national series of 

 illustrations of nature ; and, further, that as the chief 

 end and aim of Natural History is to demonstrate 

 the harmony which pervades the whole and the 

 unity of principle which bespeaks rhe unity of the 

 creative cause, it is essential that the different classes 

 of natural objects should be preserved in juxta- 

 position under the roof of one great building. 



" We further strongly objeot to the proposed trans- 

 ference, because those engaged in the study of 

 Natural History have in the British Museum the 

 paramount advantage of consulting every work which 

 can aid their researches ; whilst a removal of the 

 collections would either involve a conjoint trans- 

 ference of a very large portion of the National 

 Library, or necessitate a very expensive purchase of 

 a special Natural History Library. 



" Whilst such are the prominent reasons against 

 the removal of the Natural History collections from 

 the site where they have been established, for up- 

 wards of a century, in the centre of London, we beg 

 to add the expression of our opinion that such 

 removal, particularly if to any situation distant from 

 that centre, would be viewed by the mass of the 

 inhabitants with extreme disfavour, it being a well- 

 known fact that by far the greater number of visitors 

 to the Museum consists of those who frequent the 

 halls containing the Natural History collections ; 

 whilst it is obvious that many of tJiose persons who 

 com© from the densely-peopled districts of the 

 eastern, northern, and southern parts of London 

 would feel it very inconvenient to resort to any 

 distant locality. 



" For these reasons, as based on scientific advant- 

 ages, the convenience and instruction of the people 

 and the saving of a large sum to the nation, we 

 earnestly hope that the Natural History collections 

 may not be interfered with, but be allowed to remain 

 associated with the many other branches of human 

 knowledge which are so admirably represented in 

 this great national establishment." 



The list of signatories was headed By Lord Wrottesiey, 

 President of the Boyal Society, and 113 other 

 Tiaturalists. 



ENQUmY BY THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH 

 MUSEUM. 



Next in order comes a Return to the House of 

 Commons, dated 1st July, 1858 ; Copies " of all Com- 

 munications made .... to the Trustees respect- 

 ing the want of space for exhibiting the collections in 

 that Institution .... and of all communications 

 lietween the Trustees and the Treasury upon the same 

 subject," &C. 



" The Principal Librarian to the Lords Commissioners 

 •of the Treasury. 



"British Museum, 14th June, 1858. 



"My Lords, — ^I am directed by the Trustees of the 

 British Museum ... to state to your Lordships that, in 

 consequence of the death of Robert Brown, Esq., the 

 Keeper of the Botanical Department, which took place 

 on the 10th instant, the Trustees have been induced to 



institute an examination into the question whether it 

 may be expedient or otherwise to remove the botanical 

 collection from the Museum, as it presents a case in 

 some degree peculiar. 



''By the will of Sir Joseph Banks, his library, her- 

 barium, manuscripts, etc., were bequeathed to Mr. 

 Brown for life, and afterwards to the British Museum, 

 with permission to Mr. Brown to allow them to be le- 

 moved to the Museum during his lifetime, should the 

 Trustees desire it. Mr. Brown, having consented to the 

 latter arrangement, was appointed an officer of theMuseum 

 in 1827, under certain conditions which wei-e tu continue 

 during his life. 



" I am to add that, on account of the present state 

 of the question with respect to the Botanical Department, 

 and also of the real urgency of the case as it respects 

 the demands for accommodation beyond that department, 

 the Trustees are anxious to be supplied witn further 

 and early information of the views of the Government . 

 .and of any wishes they may entertain as to in- 

 quiries to be undertaken or further information to be 

 supplied by the Trustees. 



"I have, etc., 



(Signed) A. Panizzi. 



" The Right Hon. the Lords Commissioners 

 of Her Majesty's Treasury." 



House of Commons, 1858, n. 379 (pp. 64-65.) 



_ This letter was immediately foDowed by the investiga- 

 tion itself, as follows, the account of it being extracted 

 from another return, dated 11th March, 1859 : — 



"Extracts from the minutes of the Trustees at a 

 Sub-Committee on Natural History, 16th June, 

 1858. . . . Read : The extract from the will of 

 the late Sir Joseph Banks, entered upon the 

 minutes of the general meeting of 8th .luly, 1820, 

 and the minute of the Committee of 30th June, 

 1827, containing the terms of agreement entered into 

 by the Trustees with Mr. Brown . . . Sir 

 William Hooker, Dr. Hooker, and Dr. Lindley, 

 who were in attendance at the special request of 

 some members of the Sub-Committee, were then 

 called in." 



The evidence of Mr. Robert Brown was then read so 

 far as it related to his agreement with the Trustees (see 

 page 116), and his opinion as to the slight connection 

 between herbaria and botanic gardens. 



The Sub-Committee then proceeded to take evidence 

 upon the question of moving the Botanical Department 

 from the British Museum to Kew. 



Sir Wilham Hooker examined : He was of opinion that 

 the removal of the botanical collection to Kew without 

 the Banksian library would, be expedient for the safety 

 of that collection, inasmuch as it would 'be to ])urer 

 atmosphere ; it has certainly suffered from the smoke 

 and dirt of London. " Its advantage will depend on the 

 extent and nature of the collection, with which I am not 

 familiar." To study plants effectually it is essential 

 that a great many specimens and books should be ex- 

 posed at the same time, often for many hours conse- 

 cutively ; he considered it desirable that hei*baria should 

 be in connection with living plants ; the Kew herbarium 

 is much more extensive and better named than that at 

 the British Museum, it consists partly of his own, and 

 partly of a very valuable hei-fbarium given by Mr. 

 Bentham to the establishment on the condition that it 

 should be available to working botanists ; the Museum 

 specimens are to a great extent duplicates of the Kew 

 collection, hut amongst them are many of great historic 

 interest ; the Kew collections are frequently consulted, 

 and many works have emanated from these consultations. 



" There is scarcely a day when a student is not em- 

 ployed in consulting the collections. During last 

 autumn there were no less than four distinguished 

 foreign botanists at one time residing at Kew for the 

 sole purpose of working in the herbarium. I would 

 take the liberty of drawing the Committee's attention 

 to my report for 1857, where the attendance at the her- 

 barium of working botanists from all countries is fi^lly 

 dwelt upon and the results detailed. 



It is only within the last six years that there has been 

 a herbariuiin available to the public at Kew. Its value 

 to us and to working botanists has become more and more 

 apparent every year, and I do not find that botanists com- 

 plain of coming out to Kew to consult the collections ; 

 they come and reside there days, weeks, and months. 

 The power of consulting the hving plants, together with 

 the two mtiseums of Economic Botany at Kew, and the 

 fact of the botanical library being in the same suite of 



sir w. 



HlinKER. 



1S58. 



